The 2025 Club World Cup field is strong. This one would be better

Yahoo

2 days ago

As global soccer's attention shifts from European leagues to the Club World Cup, there is, at times, a sharp sense of whiplash. The latter, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed, features 'the 32 best club teams in the world.' And yet, the reigning champions of England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. won't be present.
This, to be clear, is not a flaw. It's a function of the Club World Cup's qualification system. Berths in the novel tournament were earned over a span of four years, either by winning continental titles or performing well in those competitions from 2021-2024. The criteria were objective and clear (until Lionel Messi needed an invite). They gave us Real Madrid and PSG, Al Hilal and Al Ahly, River Plate and Palmeiras. None of the following is to suggest that they should be changed or circumvented.
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But, frankly, they did not deliver the '32 best teams.' Even within geographical constraints, they omitted some giants. So, with kickoff near, we decided to reimagine the field, and redraft it based on present-day strength.
For the most part, we followed FIFA's rules. We kept the exact same regional allocation, which gives the tournament global flavor. We navigated the two-clubs-per-country cap, with only a few exceptions.
And we came up with an ideal field — one that includes only a little more than half of the actual 2025 Club World Cup participants.
Europe
Liverpool (in place of Manchester City) — The 2024-25 Premier League champs are a no-brainer pick, and the highest-ranked European team to fall short of qualification — because two other English clubs, Chelsea and Man City, won the Champions League in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
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Arsenal (in place of Chelsea) — The EPL runners-up had one critical, injury-induced hole at striker this past season. They could fill it, in this hypothetical scenario, during FIFA's special pre-Club World Cup transfer window, perhaps with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Šeško.
Lamine Yamal helped FC Barcelona to a domestic double this past season. (Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Barcelona (in place of Atlético Madrid) — The most entertaining team in soccer, bar none; and arguably the best, at least until a dramatic Champions League semifinal defeat to Inter Milan. If Lamine Yamal and Co. were involved, they'd be among the Club World Cup's headliners. (They're not because, over the four years prior to their 2024-25 rebound, they sputtered in Europe.)
Real Madrid — Los Blancos fell short of every single expectation in Kylian Mbappé's first season; and now, with Carlo Ancelotti off to Brazil, they have a new manager. But they're still the second-best team in Spain.
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PSG — What a team. What a performance in Saturday's Champions League final. Mentally, it will be difficult to re-gear up for another (lesser) tournament on another continent two weeks later … but if anybody can do it, it's Luis Enrique and PSG, who'll come to America atop global soccer.
Inter Milan — Drubbed by PSG, and perhaps exposed, but Inter is unquestionably still a top-two team in Italy.
Napoli (in place of Juventus) — Two Serie A titles in three seasons, the latest one willed over the line by … Manchester United reject Scott McTominay.
Bayern Munich — Back on top of Germany after a one-year aberration, Bayern is clearly one of the 10 best teams in the world — even if its 2024-25 squad, but the club's lofty modern standards, was unremarkable.
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Borussia Dortmund — Bayer Leverkusen, the 2024 Bundesliga champs and 2025 runners-up, probably deserve Germany's second slot. But they faded down the stretch, and just lost their manager. Dortmund, on the other hand, was the league's best team from March 1 through last month's finales.
Sporting CP (in place of FC Porto) — Recently won a dramatic domestic double, beating Lisbon rival Benfica in the Portuguese Cup final and the league, powered by formidable Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres.
Benfica — This is not a classic Benfica team … yet it still reached the Champions League Round of 16, and came within a minute and a point of the domestic double that Sporting won instead.
PSV (in place of RB Salzburg) — Upset Juventus in the Champions League, then surged to the top of the Dutch Eredivisie and surpassed a collapsing Ajax.
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South America
Four of South America's six spots in the actual 2025 Club World Cup went to Brazil, because four different Brazilian clubs swept the Copa Libertadores titles during the qualification period.
So, for the sake of this exercise, we're going to compromise with the two-per-country rule and make it three-per-country — in part because that makes our choices a bit simpler.
Palmeiras — One of two obvious picks, the Verdão are probably the most potent non-European team in the competition.
Flamengo — With a combo of proven CONMEBOL stars — such as Giorgian De Arrascaeta — and returnees from Europe — such as Alex Sandro — Flamengo is solidly the second-best team in Brazil at the moment (if not the best).
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Botafogo — Several of last season's stars, including Thiago Almada and Luiz Henrique, have since departed. So it seems likely that Botafogo will settle back into Série A's mid-table. But their incredible 2024, which featured a league title and the club's first Libertadores triumph, is more than enough to merit a place in the Club World Cup.
River Plate — The only easy choice from Argentina, despite an ongoing downswing domestically.
Boca Juniors — Boca has been bad, by Boca standards, for a few years now. Its results have been substandard and its soccer has been ugly. But it's still the most famous club in South America. Its zealous fan base should help bring the Club World Cup to life. That, as much as anything else, is an adequate reason for inclusion.
Racing (in place of Fluminense) — The Argentine Primera is one of the most chaotic, confusing, topsy-turvy major leagues in global soccer. Vélez Sarsfield somehow won the 2024 edition; now, they're back in third-to-last place. So we'll go with Racing, which has been decent in the league and better in the Libertadores group stage. But it's really tough to find two deserving clubs from outside Brazil, much less three. (Uruguay's Peñarol was the one non-Argentine club considered.)
Despite a disappointing end to their season, Club América would've drawn heavy interest at the Club World Cup. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
North America
Club América (in place of Pachuca) — Las Águilas took home back-to-back-to-back Liga MX titles before falling to Toluca last month on the doorstep of a fourth. They're the biggest club in North America and probably the best team, even if their attack has been ailing. (They've been blanked in 10 of their last 18 games, and hardly created anything from open play in Saturday's play-in game loss to LAFC.)
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Cruz Azul (in place of Monterrey) — In winning their seventh CONCACAF title on Sunday, Cruz Azul lived up to its nickname: La Máquina, 'The Machine.' It looked like the best team in Mexico, and arguably has been, on balance, since the start of 2024. It would be an excellent addition to the Club World Cup.
Vancouver Whitecaps (in place of Seattle Sounders) — The 'Caps got blitzed by Cruz Azul in Mexico City, but their run to the 2025 Champions Cup final was legit. Against all odds — they were picked to finish 14th in the Western Conference — they've waltzed to the top of MLS even without their injured captain and designated player, Ryan Gauld. They wouldn't bring much buzz to the Club World Cup, of course; but in a friendlier setting than a rocking Estadio Olímpico Universitario, they might be able to scrap with some of the South American and second-rate European participants.
Philadelphia Union (in place of LAFC) — You could make a case for nearly a dozen teams here. The Columbus Crew, for example, have been Major League Soccer's best and most consistent team ever since Wilfried Nancy took charge in 2023. LAFC has been close behind, and proved its worth by outlasting Club América. But we'll go with the Union, who currently sit atop the Eastern Conference, with underlying numbers that suggest their head-turning start to 2025 is no fluke.
Asia
Al Hilal — They won neither the Saudi league nor the Asian Champions League in 2024-25, but they've been the country's and the continent's dominant team for a few years now. Their roster is stacked with names you probably know — Aleksandar Mitrović, João Cancelo, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Yassine Bounou — and others you might not who are similarly talented. They also have wads of cash, and should be able to further reinforce their squad ahead of the Club World Cup.
Karim Benzema of Al-Ittihad lifts the King Cup of Champions trophy after his team's victory in the Final King's Cup match between Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah at King Abdullah Sports City on May 30, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by)
(Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images)
Al Ittihad (in place of Al Ain) — Our second Saudi pick could realistically be any of the remaining three of the Big Four. Al Nassr is the most well-known, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo. Al Ahli are the recently crowned Asian champs. But Al Ittihad ran away with the Pro League, then followed it up with a Kings Cup title. Just like at the front six — Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby, Steven Bergwijn, Houssem Aouar, N'Golo Kanté and Fabinho — and you instantly see why.
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Vissel Kobe (in place of Urawa Reds) — Narrowly over Urawa Reds, Japan's actual Club World Cup rep; and Kashima Antlers, who currently lead the J-League.
Ulsan — There are probably a dozen options for the non-Saudi picks. But we'll stick with the three-time reigning Korean champs, who have earned their place at the table.
Africa
Al Ahly — Egypt's winningest club has been chasing and lifting trophies relentlessly over the past five seasons. From 2020 through 2025, Al Ahly claimed four league titles, three Egypt Cups, four Super Cups, and, most remarkably, four Champions League crowds. Relative to continental competition, it might be the most dominant team in the entire Club World Cup field.
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Mamelodi Sundowns — Africa's richest club is a mainstay in the latter stages of the CAF Champions League and atop the South African Premiership.
Pyramids (in place of Wydad) — African champions, as of Sunday, for the very first time. Over the past seven years, Pyramids have been powered from obscurity to the top of Egyptian soccer by Saudi and then Emirati wealth. They've broken up the country's Big Two — Al Ahly and Zamalek — and will be at the next Club World Cup in 2029.
ES Tunis — Without a clear choice for the fourth and final spot, we'll stick with the kings of Tunisia, who are also a regular continental contender (which is why they're in the actual 2025 Club World Cup).
Oceania
Auckland City — Auckland City is, on one hand, a minnow among giants, a group of amateurs among millionaires, a team that will be completely out of its depth. But it is, on the other hand, by far the best team in Oceania — in part because New Zealand's best clubs play in Australia's A-League. So, it retains its spot in our reimagined field.
Host country
FIFA reserved the final Club World Cup spot for a 'host country representative.' Of the 32 invites available, this is the one that felt fishy. For months, even when asked, FIFA wouldn't say how the spot would be filled. Then, on the final day of the MLS regular season, Infantino appeared in South Florida to award it to Inter Miami. And you know what?
Inter Miami — … We'd do the same. Although the Herons have had a rough season, you could very easily argue they're still a top-three team in MLS. And, well, any tournament is more interesting with Messi in it.